Bethlehem Besieged: DC Booksignings

MITRI RAHEB, author of I am a Palestinian Christian and co-author (with Fred Strickert) of Bethlehem 2000, will be in Washington, DC, 7-10 June 2004 promoting his latest book, Bethlehem Besieged: Stories of Hope in Times of Trouble. Bethlehem Besieged is Raheb’s journal of events during the 2002 Israeli siege and occupation of Bethlehem, and of the stand-off at the Church of the Nativity. Come here Mitri speak, and pick up your own copy of his books.

MITRI RAHEB, author of I am a Palestinian Christian and co-author (with Fred Strickert) of Bethlehem 2000, will be in Washington, DC, 7-10 June 2004 promoting his latest book, Bethlehem Besieged: Stories of Hope in Times of Trouble. Bethlehem Besieged is Raheb’s journal of events during the 2002 Israeli siege and occupation of Bethlehem, and of the stand-off at the Church of the Nativity. Come here Mitri speak, and pick up your own copy of his books.

“This is a heartrending account of what has happened to ordinary people, and how they have lived and survived

[in] Bethlehem, the birthplace of the Prince of Peace. It should shake us out of complicity with the injustice being visited on ordinary people.”-Desmond TutuRetired Archbishop of Cape Town, South Africa

Bethlehem Besieged is a riveting story, beginning with the siege of Bethlehem in 2002 and continuing into today’s scene of occupation, the wall, and suicide bombers. Like The Diary of Anne Frank it also chronicles the personal struggles of Palestinians and their families to survive the violence and to act with integrity in extreme circumstances. It gives full voice to the sound bites of the nightly news.

Mitri Raheb’s powerful collection of compelling personal stories–stories of desperation and hope in the midst of lethal conflict–brings the Palestinian/Israeli conflict up close and personal.

Raheb’s lifelong commitment to his people has kept him in the legendary birthplace of Christianity, even as the town has become a flashpoint in the world’s most volatile and hate-filled conflict. His passionate personal testimony lifts up the stray gesture toward friendship, the brave attempts to rebuild life and livelihood in a destroyed land, and the unquenchable desire for justice and peace.

Mitri Raheb is a Palestinian Arab and Christian Pastor who ministers to his people in Bethlehem, where his family has lived for hundreds of years. Pastor of the Evangelical Christmas Church there, he holds a doctorate from Marburg University in Germany. Internationally honored for his work, Raheb has been interviewed by CNN, the Washington Post, Fox News, ABC News, and CBS News, sharing his stories of the Israeli bombing of Bethlehem and the fears and hopes of ordinary people living there.

United Methodist Church June 10:30-11:30 AM CONTACT: The Rev. Neal Christie Assistant General Secretary Ministry of Resourcing Congregational Life General Board of Church and Society The United Methodist Church 100 Maryland Avenue, NE Washington, DC 20002 phone: 202-488-5611 Nchristie@umc-gbcs.orgwww.umc-gbcs.org